Optical fiber and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

An optical fiber including a glass core, and a polymer cladding formed around the glass core, the polymer cladding containing a mixture of a polymerizable composition and a silane coupling agent, and a fluorine-based ultraviolet curable resin. The mixture contains 5 to 95 parts by weight of the silane coupling agent based on 100 parts by weight of the total weight of the mixture. The fluorine-based ultraviolet curable resin alone has a refractive index in a range of 1.350 to 1.420 after ultraviolet curing. A component originated from the silane coupling agent is concentrated within a range of 20 μm or less in the polymer cladding from an interface between the glass core and the polymer cladding.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An optical fiber comprising:
 a glass core; and 
 a cured polymer cladding formed around the glass core, the polymer cladding having a thickness of (1) no less than 25 μm and (2) 100 μm or less before curing, wherein 
 the polymer cladding is formed from a mixture of a polymerizable composition and a silane coupling agent, and a fluorine-based ultraviolet curable resin, 
 the mixture contains more than 25 to 95 parts by weight of the silane coupling agent based on 100 parts by weight of a total weight of the mixture, 
 the fluorine-based ultraviolet curable resin alone has a refractive index in a range of 1.350 to 1.420 after ultraviolet curing, and 
 a component formed from the silane coupling agent is discretely concentrated within a range of 20 μm or less in the polymer cladding from an interface between the glass core and the polymer cladding. 
 
     
     
       2. The optical fiber according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a ratio of the silane coupling agent to the mixture of the polymerizable composition and the silane coupling agent is in the range of from more than 25% to 80%. 
 
     
     
       3. The optical fiber according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a ratio of the silane coupling agent to the mixture of the polymerizable composition and the silane coupling agent is in the range of from more than 25% to 50%. 
 
     
     
       4. The optical fiber according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a ratio of the silane coupling agent to the mixture of the polymerizable composition and the silane coupling agent is in the range of from more than 25% to 40%.